Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Charles S. Plumb The last several months have witnessed a flurry of court activity regarding same-sex marriage laws. On Tuesday, January 14, Oklahoma joined that activity with an order and opinion issued by Tulsa’s federal court. In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution defining “marriage” to be exclusively a union […]
Flexible Workplace Arrangements (FWAs) are more and more attractive and much easier to manage with today’s technologies, says attorney David Fortney, but the laws that govern them were passed long before the technologies existed, and that can make management difficult. Fortney is a co-founder of law firm Fortney & Scott, LLC in Washington, DC, and […]
A new California Court of Appeals decision makes employers more vulnerable to big payouts when terminating a longtime employee who has stacked up unused vacation time over the years. We’ll examine the case and give you policy tips that can help you limit the amount of accrued vacation time you may need to pay for […]
The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan on May 24. 1.The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis. The sequel to #1 best-selling Liar’s Poker examines the issue of who understood the risk inherent in the assumption […]
If a job applicant has a liver disorder that might be worsened by exposure to chemicals at work, or a back problem that would be aggravated by heavy lifting, you might wonder whether you can refuse to hire the person so you won’t be on the hook for future workers’ comp benefits. Now, in a […]
by Christine D. Mehfoud Whether the president’s recent series of immigration-related executive actions will survive potential legal challenges and congressional action remains to be seen. For now, set aside your political views (while I love a good political debate, this space is for practical business implications), and let’s focus on how the executive actions will […]
Can’t join your workplace wellness activities due to a health condition? Sure you can, using the government’s accessibility rules for wellness programs. Here’s a primer. In yesterday’s Advisor, we looked at “benign discrimination” and “multiple plan” rules for wellness programs. Today, we look at the “reasonableness” test and the “alternative standard” requirement, and introduce a […]
By Mark I. Schickman California employers have been waiting since October 2008 for the California Supreme Court to issue its ruling in the Brinker Restaurant case, clarifying whether employers must “ensure” that employees take meal and rest breaks or simply “provide” those breaks. Today, the court unanimously served up a major victory to California employers […]
by Jim Brown California employers will have several new laws to deal with as of January 1, 2013. Of particular interest are measures affecting social media passwords, religious dress and grooming standards, and commission agreements. Social media passwords Assembly Bill 1844 prohibits employers from requiring employees or applicants to disclose usernames or passwords for the […]